my fourth sweater: the B.O.B.

Look, I knit a big, wooly sweater in the middle of the summer. This is the B.O.B., Button On Blanket. (Also at Ravelry.) It’s a large and cuddly sweater created with the sole purpose of keeping the wearer warm. The pattern was written by Jackie of Yarnish, and it’s a free PDF download from this page, you can also find the pattern here at Ravelry (if you have already joined). I really like this pattern, it simple yet interesting, and so fast that it might be a good one to keep around for the next time a family member begs you to knit them a sweater.

See how the collar overlaps at the top? I made my collar tall enough to hit my chin so I didn’t have any room to fold it over. Otherwise I totally would have.

The pattern is simple, knit from the bottom up with sleeves in the round which you join to work the top half of the sweater so, besides eight stitches where the sleeves meet the body, there isn’t any seaming to do. It’s knit in bulky yarn on size 11 needles so it goes very quickly.

I did 1×1 tubular cast on for the hem and cuffs, and 1×1 tubular bind off at the collar. For the button band I did my trick of casting off in pattern, only, holding the yarn in the back when I pulled one loop over during the purl stitches. This made for another very even bound off edge, I’ll have to look into this more closely. I messed up one of the button holes (because I was watching Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle and NPH was very distracting) so I might redo that to fix it.

I used Wool-Ease Chunky yarn to knit this and if you’ve been following my knitting so far you might be wondering why somebody like me to finds wool so terribly itchy might have been thinking. Basically, I was thinking, “Wool-Ease is 80% acrylic, and look, the Grass Green is so pretty. Maybe it will all work out.” Optimistic of me, unfotunately the yarn is very itchy, but I like the finished sweater anyway because it’s so thick and spongy and pleasingly simple. I have plans to knit a second one just as soon as my black Puffin yarn arrives. I realize this won’t look nearly so good in Puffin, but it’ll look a whole lot better than a fleece bathrobe, right? Besides, I don’t plan on wearing this outside of the house, or even much past the confines of my couch. This will definitely be my lounging sweater.

I should mention, the pattern was originally written for Rowan Plaid, and I’m sure the sweater is delicious with that yarn. Rowan Plaid is discontinued, but WEBS has plenty.

If you’re on Ravelry my project page for the B.O.B. is here. And may I just say, I’m so tickled to the first one to finish this sweater on Ravelry behind the designer herself. Do I get a prize for that?

8 responses so far ↓

Yay! Thanks for the summary. After seeing your pictures on Flickr/Ravelry, I downloaded the pattern and am just waiting for my yarn to arrive. This will be my first adult size sweater, so I’m a little nervous. Wish me luck!

Just one question though: how did you find the sizing? I’m between sizes so am tempted to round down (which is closer) but it makes me a little nervous. Is the fabric pretty forgiving once it’s all assembled?

i actually think people should knit like this more. because when winter does come around, sometimes it takes too long to make a sweater or something wintery and suddenly it’s spring. now you actually have something in preparation. the rags should follow, as though they were clothing stores always selling their shorts when it’s march.

greta – I was inbetween the small and medium so I knit the medium. I considered the yarn when I chose to go bigger – the Woolease Chunky is not a yarn that looks good stretched. I also considered that I’d be wearing this cardigan closed, since our tv room gets very cold in the winter.

But, if you used a softer yarn I bet you could go a size down, it is ribbed. Also, check your gauge carefully, you might knit a bit larger than it calls for. Otherwise perhaps knit the larger size and use 10.5 needles instead?

Keep in mind what Jackie wrote – this isn’t a sweater meant to be flattering, it’s a thick fabric and it makes me look HUGE when I wear it.

Thanks Megan! The yarn I’m planning to use is new to me, so I’ll definitely be doing a swatch to test the gauge and feel of it. I’m fully prepared to be unflattered by this either way, so thanks for the warning!

I have to say though that I think it looks cute and not unflattering on her in the picture, but maybe it’s a trick of the camera. I don’t expect to be that lucky myself. :)